US4031309A - Arrangement for producing steel - Google Patents

Arrangement for producing steel Download PDF

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Publication number
US4031309A
US4031309A US05/624,978 US62497875A US4031309A US 4031309 A US4031309 A US 4031309A US 62497875 A US62497875 A US 62497875A US 4031309 A US4031309 A US 4031309A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
combination
container
inlet opening
container element
tilting
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US05/624,978
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English (en)
Inventor
Manfred Chitil
Gotthard Hubatsch
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Kloeckner Werke AG
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Kloeckner Werke AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kloeckner Werke AG filed Critical Kloeckner Werke AG
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Publication of US4031309A publication Critical patent/US4031309A/en
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21C—PROCESSING OF PIG-IRON, e.g. REFINING, MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL; TREATMENT IN MOLTEN STATE OF FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C21C5/00—Manufacture of carbon-steel, e.g. plain mild steel, medium carbon steel or cast steel or stainless steel
    • C21C5/56—Manufacture of steel by other methods
    • C21C5/562—Manufacture of steel by other methods starting from scrap
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/20—Recycling

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a steel-producing installation, and more particularly to an arrangement for producing steel from scrap, sponge iron, pellets or similar materials.
  • the heating arrangement melts the starting material and the molten material accumulates in the lowermost portion of the vessel to be discharged therefrom through a discharge opening located in the bottom portion of the vessel.
  • An accumulating receptacle is then located underneath the discharge opening of the vessel and the molten material accumulates therein to be subsequently transported to and introduced into a conventional refining or similar converting furnace.
  • the oven is constructed as a flow-through container into which the starting material in its melted form is introduced on a continuous basis through the inlet opening of the container, while slag is separated from and separately but continuously discharged from the container through a slag outlet opening, while the steel which has been previously subjected to the necessary heat-treatment and which has been possibly supplemented with additives, is also continuously discharged from the container through a steel-outlet opening which is spaced from the outlet opening for slag.
  • a further disadvantage of the continuous operation of the furnace and particularly of the continuous discharge of the steel therefrom is the fact that a full receptacle has to be replaced by an empty receptacle while further amounts of steel are being continuously discharged from the outlet opening for steel, which is a rather laborious if not dangerous operation.
  • one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a steel-producing installation, in a combination which comprises a container having an upper region provided with an inlet opening, a lower region bounding a depression, and a middle region formed with outlet means. An arrangement is provided for continuously introducing starting materials into the container through the inlet opening to form a body in the depression. The body is treated in the depression to obtain molten steel and slag.
  • the container is mounted on a mounting arrangement for tilting about a substantially horizontal axis to thereby tap slag and steel, respectively, through the outlet means, the axis being located at the inlet opening of the container so that starting materials can be continuously introduced into the container regardless of the extent of tilting thereof about the axis.
  • This container may preferably be used in connection with a pre-melting vessel in which the starting material is melted, the molten material accumulated in the bottom region of the vessel being discharged therefrom through a discharge opening at the bottom of the vessel, the discharge opening being located above the inlet opening of the container and in communication therewith.
  • the molten material emerging from the pre-melting vessel can be continuously introduced into the container without having to interrupt the melting process in the pre-melting vessel.
  • the refined steel can be discharged from the container as a result of the fact that the container is tapped, that is in relatively large amounts at any given time, so that the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices are overcome thereby.
  • the same, of course, is also valid for the slag, even though the problem of loss of heat content may not be so important.
  • the inlet opening is bounded by a sleeve-shaped element forming part of, or connected to, the upper region of the container, the sleeve-shaped element being, in a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, of a funnel-shaped configuration and may diverge in the downward direction, the axis of tilting of the vessel extending through the narrowest region of the funnel-shaped element.
  • the dimensions of the sleeve-shaped element are so selected that the molten starting material does not come in touch with the sleeve-shaped element even in the event that the container is tilted out of its normal position to a large extent, and thereby it is prevented that the molten starting material may erode or otherwise damage the sleeve-shaped element.
  • the inlet opening is so arranged at the upper region of the container that the stream of the molten material emerging from the premelting vessel falls directly into the body of molten material in the container, thus avoiding the danger that the material may come into contact, during its downward fall, with the walls bounding the interior of the container and thus erode or otherwise damage the walls.
  • the inlet opening can be arranged at the upper portion or region of the container and at a location which is offset from the vertical axis of the container in the direction of the horizontal tilting axis.
  • the inlet opening is still spaced a substantial distance from the walls bounding the interior of the container so that the molten starting material which enters the container through the inlet opening thereof still does not have an opportunity to contact and thus damage the interior surface of the container.
  • the fire-resistant refractory lining of the container is especially sensitive to the eroding action of such a stream of molten metal.
  • the inlet for the molten material can be arranged around the vertical axis of the container.
  • the inlet opening can be again surrounded by a sleeve-shaped funnel, but this time the inlet opening may be elongated in the tilting direction of the container, that is, transversely of the horizontal axis of tilting of the container.
  • the actual shape of the inlet opening and of the sleeve-shaped element surrounding the same will to a large degree depend on the exact position of the tilting axis, on the size of the discharge opening of the vessel, and on other considerations of practical nature.
  • the gap which exists between the pre-melting vessel and the closest part of the sleeve-shaped element surrounding the inlet can be kept to a minimum, so that the molten starting material falls freely through only a relatively small distance after being discharged from the discharge opening and before being accepted in the inlet opening of the container, so that the temperature of even the outer surface of the stream of molten metal flowing from the vessel into the container will not be noticeably reduced.
  • the gap is so small that noxious gases resulting from the treatment of the body of material in the container will be able to escape through the gap between the pre-melting vessel and the container only to a negligible extent.
  • the container In order to obtain the tilting motion of the container about the above-mentioned horizontal axis, the container is provided laterally with mounting elements which have cam surfaces each of which has a center located on the tilting axis.
  • the mounting members are supported on rollers, and the tilting motion thereof is achieved by utilizing either a hydraulic cylinder-and-piston arrangement which has spaced end portions connected to a support and to the container or one or more of the mounting members, or by means of a toothed rack connected to at least one of the mounting members, a selectively driven pinion being in meshing engagement with the teeth of the toothed rack.
  • the interior of the container is so constructed that the overall volume thereof is 2 to 6 times the volume of the treated body of material received in the depression of the container immediately prior to the tapping of the slag and steel, so that there is available sufficient space into which the gaseous substances can expand. Furthermore, there may be provided an exhaust conduit for discharging the noxious gases from the interior of the container, which may be connected to a scrubber or a similar particulate material removing arrangement.
  • a very important advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is that an only slightly modified conventional electric oven or furnace can be used as the container of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned side elevational view of the arrangement of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 with some elements omitted.
  • the arrangement of the present invention includes a pre-melting vessel 1 and a container 2 located underneath the vessel and operative for refining the starting materials to obtain steel.
  • the vessel 1 is of completely conventional construction so that only those parts thereof which are necessary for understanding the present invention have been illustrated. However, it is to be understood that the vessel 1 is equipped with non-illustrated heating means which heats the lowermost part of a column of starting material, such as scrap, sponge iron, pellets or similar materials.
  • the heating means may include a lance which may pass through the vessel 1 coaxially therewith from above, or from below through the bottom of the vessel 1.
  • the heat necessary for melting the starting material in the vessel 1 can be obtained either by burning combustible substances to obtain a flame in the lowermost region of the column of starting material in the vessel 1, or by utilizing electric arc discharge.
  • the flame or the electric arc discharge preferably act on the greater part of the cross-sectional area of the column of starting material in the lowermost region thereof, but is spaced from the bottom of the pre-melting vessel 1 so that the molten starting material constitutes a heat-protecting layer at the inner surface of the vessel 1 to protect the refractory material from being subjected to too high temperatures.
  • the starting material may also be melted by using an annular flame or an annular arc discharge. All of the above-discussed heating means are well known and thus need no further detailed discussion or illustration.
  • Either the vessel 1 or the container 2 or both of them may be mounted on a support structure so as to be replaceable by a different vessel or container of the same type.
  • the arrangement for mounting the vessel 1 has not been illustrated because it is entirely conventional, while the mounting arrangement of the container 2 will now be discussed.
  • Such a mounting arrangement includes mounting members 3 connected to the container 2 laterally thereof, the mounting members 3 having part-circular cam surfaces which are supported on a plurality of rollers 4 which, in turn, are mounted on supports 4 or rotation about their axes.
  • the centers of the part-circular cam surfaces of the mounting members 3 are located at a substantially horizontal axis A which is located at the upper region of the container 2.
  • the tilting of the container 2 about the axis A may be achieved, for instance, by mounting non-illustrated conventional toothed racks on the members 3, and by so mounting a pinion that it meshes with its associated toothed rack, the pinion being driven into rotation about its axis by non-illustrated driving means.
  • the container 2 may be tilted by means of conventional non-illustrated cylinder-and-piston units which may be, for instance, hydraulically operated.
  • the hydraulic units may be provided at either or at both sides of one or both of the members 3.
  • the container 2 is provided in its tilting direction with tap holes 6 and 7 for steel or slag, either one of which may be constructed either as a tapping door or a tapping spout.
  • the container 2 includes an upper region constructed as a lid 2a dismountably mounted on the remainder of the container 2 for repair purposes, a middle region 2b and a lower region 2c. As illustrated in FIG. 2, electrodes 8 may extend through the lid 2a centrally thereof into the interior of the container 2, electric current being supplied to the electrodes by appropriate conductors 9.
  • An inlet opening is provided in the upper region of the container 2, being bounded by a sleeve-shaped element 10.
  • the inlet opening has a central axis which is located in a plane defined by the horizontal axis A and by a substantially vertical axis of the container 2.
  • the element 10 may be funnel-shaped and may have an inlet portion 10a having such dimensions that it is always located underneath an outlet opening 11 of the pre-melting vessel 1, the passage in the portion 10a being always in communication with the passage in the discharge opening 11, regardless of the extent of tilting of the container 2 about its axis. In this manner, the melted starting materials which flow out of the outlet opening 11 of the vessel 1 will always pass through the inlet opening of the container 2 which is bounded by the sleeve-shaped element 10.
  • the portion 10a of the inlet 10 of the container 2 is so configurated in the tilting direction of the container 2 that the walls of the element 10 which limit the inlet opening in the tilting direction of the container 2 will be always located outside the stream of molten material emerging from the discharge opening 11 of the pre-melting vessel 1 regardless of the instantaneous position of the container 2.
  • the element 10 is so arranged on the portion of the middle region 2b of the container which conically converges toward the lid 2a and offset from the central axis of the container 2 that an outlet portion 10b of the funnel-shaped element 10 is arranged at a distance from the vertical walls of the container 2, thereby permitting filling of the molten material into the container 2 from the vessel 1 without the refractory lining of the container 2 being contacted by the molten material being introduced into the container 2, whereby the lining is protected from being eroded or otherwise damaged by the molten starting material.
  • the element 10 is also larger in the tilting direction of the container 2 than the discharge opening 11 of the pre-melting vessel 1 so that the molten starting material which is discharged from the vessel 1 through the discharge opening 11 does not, for all intents and purposes, come into contact with the material of the sleeve-shaped element 10 so that the latter is not subjected to wear to any considerable extent.
  • the sleeve-shaped element 10 is connected to the concical region of the middle region of the container 2 by means of a flange in order to insure that the sleeve-shaped element can be easily replaced.
  • a gas-tight charging opening 12 is provided in the upper portion or lid 2a of the container 2, serving the purpose of continuously introducing additives such as lime, alloying metals or similar additives.
  • the conical portion of the middle region 2b of the container 2 is provided with a conduit 13 for removing noxious gases therefrom the interior of the container 2, a valve 14 being provided in the interior of the conduit and being operative for closing the same, the conduit 13 being connected with a displaceable pipe 15 and communicating therewith when the container 2 is in its central position and when the valve 14 is opened.
  • the valve 14 closes the conduit 13 when the container 2 is tilted in one or other direction about the axis A. Both the charging inlet 12 and theconduits 13 and 15 have been omitted in FIG. 2.
  • a carriage 16 may be mounted underneath the container 2 and between the mounting members 3 and the rollers 4 with their supports 5, two receptacles 17 and 18 are being supported on the carriage 16, one for slag and the other for steel discharged from the respective outlet openings 6 and 7 of the container 2. Because of the arrangement of the carriage 16 between the mounting arrangements 3, 4 and 5, the former can move along a straight track underneath the container 2 so as to advantageously position the receptacles 17 and 18 relative to the outlet openings 6 and 7.
  • the container 2 can also be constructed in a conventional manner as an inductive electric oven. In that event, because of the absence of the electrodes 8 from the central region of the container 2, the inlet opening and the sleeve-shaped element 10 surrounding the same can also be advantageously located in the center of the lid 2a.
  • the inlet opening bounded by the portion 10a of the element 10 may have an elongated configuration in the direction of tilting of the container 2.
  • a portion 10b of the sleeve-shaped element 10 may diverge in a downward direction, and the axis A may be located at the narrowest region of the inlet opening bounded by the sleeve-shaped element 10.
  • blowing arrangements such as an oxygen lance or bottom blowing nozzles may be provided in the container 2, such arrangements being conventional and thus they have not been illustrated.
  • the discharge nozzle 11 of the pre-melting vessel 1 is advantageously offset from the central axis of the vessel 1 as illustrated in FIG. 2, whereby it is assured that the upper region of the container 2 is easily accessible.
  • the present invention has been described therein connection with introducing molten material into the container 2, however, it is also possible to introduce solid material into the container 2 through the inlet opening thereof, the solid material being introduced into the container 2 in substantially continuous manner.
  • the starting materials which may be introduced into the container 2 in their solid state are, for instance, pre-heated scrap or cold or warm pellets.
  • the solid materials are pre-heated in order to introduce them into the refining container 2 at a temperature compatible with the continuance of the refining process conducted therein, and the pre-heating may take place in, for instance, a tubular rotating oven which can thus operate on a continuous basis particularly since it is no longer necessary to interrupt the operation of the pre-heating oven during the tapping of the slag and of the steel from the container 2.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Vertical, Hearth, Or Arc Furnaces (AREA)
  • Refinement Of Pig-Iron, Manufacture Of Cast Iron, And Steel Manufacture Other Than In Revolving Furnaces (AREA)
  • Furnace Charging Or Discharging (AREA)
US05/624,978 1974-10-24 1975-10-22 Arrangement for producing steel Expired - Lifetime US4031309A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE2450495A DE2450495C2 (de) 1974-10-24 1974-10-24 Einrichtung zur Stahlerzeugung
DT2450495 1974-10-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US4031309A true US4031309A (en) 1977-06-21

Family

ID=5929042

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/624,978 Expired - Lifetime US4031309A (en) 1974-10-24 1975-10-22 Arrangement for producing steel

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (1) US4031309A (fr)
AU (1) AU497947B2 (fr)
BE (1) BE834231A (fr)
BR (1) BR7505839A (fr)
CA (1) CA1050755A (fr)
DE (1) DE2450495C2 (fr)
FR (1) FR2288784A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB1526746A (fr)
IT (1) IT1039460B (fr)
SU (1) SU572221A3 (fr)
ZA (1) ZA756026B (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4523747A (en) * 1983-06-15 1985-06-18 Mannesmann Ag Discharging molten metal from a smelting furnace
US5346528A (en) * 1992-09-18 1994-09-13 Kyoei Steel Co., Ltd. Continuous automatic steel making method and facility
US5462259A (en) * 1992-12-24 1995-10-31 Man Gutehoffnungshutte Aktiengesellschaft Tilting device for a D.C. arc furnace and process for emptying the furnace
US5923698A (en) * 1996-03-28 1999-07-13 Concast Standard Ag Method of operating an arc furnace, and an arc furnace

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AT394211B (de) * 1990-07-16 1992-02-25 Voest Alpine Stahl Anlage zur herstellung von fluessigen metallen und verfahren zur herstellung einer metallschmelze, insbesondere von stahl mit dieser anlage
ATE135054T1 (de) * 1990-07-26 1996-03-15 Seirlehner Leopold Dipl Ing Verfahren zum erschmelzen von stahl sowie einrichtung zur durchführung dieses verfahrens
AT395656B (de) * 1990-11-19 1993-02-25 Voest Alpine Ind Anlagen Anlage zur herstellung von fluessigen metallen

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3350083A (en) * 1963-09-02 1967-10-31 Buhrer Erwin Tilting mechanism for induction furnace
US3706449A (en) * 1971-04-27 1972-12-19 Pullman Inc Vacuum degassing unit
US3737153A (en) * 1971-10-01 1973-06-05 Lectromelt Corp Molten metal holding furnace system
US3789126A (en) * 1972-02-18 1974-01-29 U Brusa Electric furnace for heating and melting scrap iron and steel

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3350083A (en) * 1963-09-02 1967-10-31 Buhrer Erwin Tilting mechanism for induction furnace
US3706449A (en) * 1971-04-27 1972-12-19 Pullman Inc Vacuum degassing unit
US3737153A (en) * 1971-10-01 1973-06-05 Lectromelt Corp Molten metal holding furnace system
US3789126A (en) * 1972-02-18 1974-01-29 U Brusa Electric furnace for heating and melting scrap iron and steel

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4523747A (en) * 1983-06-15 1985-06-18 Mannesmann Ag Discharging molten metal from a smelting furnace
US5346528A (en) * 1992-09-18 1994-09-13 Kyoei Steel Co., Ltd. Continuous automatic steel making method and facility
US5462259A (en) * 1992-12-24 1995-10-31 Man Gutehoffnungshutte Aktiengesellschaft Tilting device for a D.C. arc furnace and process for emptying the furnace
US5923698A (en) * 1996-03-28 1999-07-13 Concast Standard Ag Method of operating an arc furnace, and an arc furnace

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU497947B2 (en) 1979-01-25
BE834231A (fr) 1976-02-02
GB1526746A (en) 1978-09-27
CA1050755A (fr) 1979-03-20
IT1039460B (it) 1979-12-10
FR2288784A1 (fr) 1976-05-21
BR7505839A (pt) 1976-08-17
AU8586375A (en) 1977-04-28
SU572221A3 (ru) 1977-09-05
ZA756026B (en) 1976-09-29
FR2288784B1 (fr) 1978-04-28
DE2450495B1 (de) 1975-04-30
DE2450495C2 (de) 1975-12-04

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